Poll Shows Rendell and Casey in the Lead Before the Big Day

If the polls are correct, the election results on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning will read that Gov. Edward G. Rendell will be in for another term and a Democrat will also hold the office of U.S. Senator.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll shows that Rendell is predicted to win the gubernatorial race over Republican challenger Lynn Swann with about 58 percent of likely voters choosing him. The poll pointed out that those numbers are relatively unchanged since a Sept. 27 poll.

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr. is predicted to win the U.S. Senate race with a 52 percent of likely voters choosing him. The incumbent, U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, was predicted to win 42 percent of the vote. Still, 6 percent of poll respondents are undecided, and 7 percent of voters who listed a candidate said they might change their mind before Election Day, according to the poll.

“Pennsylvania voters seem well on their way to re-electing their popular governor and defeating their unpopular senator,” said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Lynn Swann sounded like an all-star choice when he was picked, but he soon dropped the ball and never recovered.

“Senator Rick Santorum was in deep trouble even before popular Treasurer Bob Casey was drafted as his challenger, and the Iraq War and the dismal approval rating of President George W. Bush have helped doom his chances,” Richards added.

Quinnipiac University in Connecticut is well-known for its surveys, which have been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Richards said that if Rendell wins Tuesday, he expects him to be a big player in the next big election.

“As he leads the Democratic sweep across the Keystone State on Election Day, look for Governor Rendell to emerge as a power player in the 2008 presidential election,” Richards said.

From Oct. 23- 29, Quinnipiac University surveyed 933 Pennsylvania likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.